Je vais à la france :-)

Well as promised it was time to late fate decide the next destination.

Adding Canada to the list (Bec you'll be pleased) :-)

1.Morocco

2. Egypt

3. Canada

4. India

5. Cuba

6. France

the dice was rolled and the winner was.......

FRANCE!!!!

As always love to hear your recipe ideas so start sending them through :-)

Until next time

Au revoir mon ami :-)

Turkey… My tummy salutes you :-)

Another meal down and another fabulous experience.

My trip to Turkey was brilliant. I wasn’t too sure how things would work out this time as when I first found the recipes I thought to myself I could be in trouble here, but once you get into them they actually are really easy to make. And the taste is incredible! The mix of spices really throws your tongue’s tastebuds into a spin. The lamb combined with the eggplant and mash potato – simply divine. Komposto is truly wonderful. Who knew simply boiling fruit in water and adding some sugar could be so good. The boys loved it - can’t wait to try it again with different combinations. Finally the Acı badem kurabiyesi are light and melt in your mouth. Not super sweet, they are just right and would easily go with a coffee at the end of the meal.

Thank you Turkey – my tummy salutes you! J

Preparation time: (how long does it really take?)

Kofte – 10 minutes tops – once you have all the ingredients it’s a simple case of mix and roll.

Dolma – depending on how you cook your rice filling the time will vary. Doesn’t take long to hollow out vegetables and fill them up again.

Hünkar beğendi – 15 minutes to prepare – then about an hour to cook –worth it though J

Sarimsakli Patates Puresi  - say 25minutes – the real time killer is boiling the potatoes .

Komposto – about 5 minutes to prepare, 25 minutes to make and then a couple of hours to cool. My advice is make it the night before and let it cool overnight.

Acı badem kurabiyesi – very simple dessert – about 10 minutes to prepare.

Ease to cook: (what does it involve?)
Kofte – Great for the BBQ. Simply put them on a hot plate and within 5-10 minutes tops you’ll be watching them disappear as they are just so tasty everyone will want one

Dolma – if you can use a spoon and a rice cooker you’ll be fine. Not hard to put together to real skill lies in cooking the rice (I’m still working on perfecting that)

Hünkar beğendi – Not that hard. The fun lies with the egg plant puree – we got there eventually – following the instructions helps LOL

Sarimsakli Patates Puresi  - boil your potatoes, mash whilst adding the extra ingredients and you’re done.

Komposto – Boil water, add sugar and fruit, simmer for around 15 minutes and you’re done.

Acı badem kurabiyesi – anyone could make these – the only time consuming part is separating the egg whites and beating them. Once that is done simply combine the ingredients, place portions onto a tray and put in the oven.

Overall: (i'll use a scale of empty bowls - 5 empty bowls is the best - 1 empty bowl not the best J)

I loved it all, but rather than boring you with my opinion, this time I thought I’d let the my nephews share their overall scores and thoughts.

Kofte

Lachlan – 4.5 empty bowls – this dish was a very tasty and filling - sort of food any kid like – They would have no problem devouring these little tackers.

Josh – 4 empty bowls – they are tasty – I liked the spicy kick it had. It wasn’t too big a kick – just right for a kid.

Dolma –

Lachlan – 3 empty bowls – it was a mix between the little amount of rice and the over powering taste of the tomato, but overall they were a sort of interesting dish.

Josh – 3.5 empty bowls – The tomato overpowered the rice a bit too much, but it was good.

Hünkar beğendi

Lachlan – 4 empty bowls – this dish was a very good meal and had lots of different textures and flavours throughout it. But overall it was a regularly nice dish.

Josh – 5 empty bowls – This dish was perfect for me because the meat was cooked just right and the spice was not that big.

Sarimsakli Patates Puresi  -

Lachlan –3 empty bowls – the mashed potato was very strong in the garlic department and if you are going to eat this dish you need to prepare yourself for a really strong hit of garlic.

Josh –3 empty bowls – I thought the garlic in the mashed potato was very overpowering.

Komposto

Lachlan – 5 empty bowls – this was a very nice beverage that would be perfect for any type of meal, especially ideal for a hot summer  day because of the refreshing taste.

Josh – 5 empty bowls – Quite tasty for just water, sugar, apples and cranberries

Acı badem kurabiyesi –

Lachlan – 4 empty bowls – It was a nice dessert. Light and fluffy it can be eaten anytime. Would be nice with ice-cream.

Josh – 5 empty bowls – They are delicious. Sweet and chewy they are perfect for a snack.

Enjoy the photos and stay tuned as my next destination will be decided tomorrow J

Kofte

Dolma

Hünkar beğendi

Komposto

Acı badem kurabiyesi

A few more tasty treats

Well this Sunday the next stage in my adventure will take place.

Adding to the kofte and dolma i will also attempt hünkar beğendi and Sarimsakli Patates Puresi (Garlic Mashed Potatoes )- both look delicious.

I have also decided to branch out and attempt to make Hoşaf or Komposto. It is a drink usually made of dried or fresh fruit boiled in water with sugar and left to cool and infuse. I found a simple recipe using apples and cranberries should be a nice addition to the meal.

And what are you doing for dessert? i hear you ask... well i am keeping it simple this time round :-) i will be making Acıbadem kurabiyesi (a bitter almond biscuit) - is a traditional Turkish biscuit made of almonds, sugar and egg whites.

So with the feast planned and the guests sorted Turkey here i come :-)

Until then take some time to brush up on a few Turkish Proverbs and Folk Sayings/Türk Atasözleri  :-)

Aðaç yas iken eðilir. The green twig is easily bent.

Ateþ düþtüðü yeri yakar. An ember burns where it falls.

Bekarlýk sultanlýktýr. There is no soverinity like bachelorhood.

Bilmemek ayýp deðil, sormamak ayýp. Not knowing is not shameful, not asking is (shameful) or, It is not a shame not to know, it is a shame not to ask.

Bir elin nesi var, iki elin sesi var. Two heads are better than one.

Bir tasla iki kus vurmak... Killing two birds with one stone.

Çabuk parlayan çabuk söner. What flares up fast, extinguishes soon.

Eþek hoþaftan ne anlar (anlamaz). An ass does not appreciate fruit compote.

Havlayan köpek ýsýrmaz. The dog that barks much does not bite.

Ýnsan yedisinde ne ise yetmiþinde de odur. What a man is at seven is also what he is at seventy.

Ýðneyi kendine batýr çuvaldýzý baþkasýna. Stick the needle into yourself (to see how it hurts) before you thrust the packing-needle into others.

Kurtlu baklanýn kör alýcýsý olur. The buyer of the rotten beans is the blind man.

Kuzguna yavrusu þahin görünür. The raven sees its chickens as falcons.

Ne ekersen, o'nu biçersin. You harvest what you sow.

Öfke ile kalkan zararla oturur. He who gets up (starts up) in anger, sits down with a loss.

Öküz altýnda buzaðý aranmaz. Do not search for a calf under an ox.

Sakýnýlan goze cop batar. An over-protected eye gets the speck (Being overly careful invites misfortunes).

Sinek küçüktür, ama mide bulandýrýr. The fly is small, but it is big enough to make one sick.

Sürüden ayrýlan koyunu kurt kapar. The sheep separated from the flock is eaten by the wolf.

Terzi kendi söküðünü dikemezmiþ. Fýrýncýnýn çocuðu aç dolaþýrmýþ. The shoemaker's child goes barefoot. The baker's child goes hungry. The plumber's house (roof) always leaks.

Yenilen pehlivan güreþe doymaz. A defeated wrestler is not tired of wrestling.

Vakitsiz öten horozun baþýný keserler. They will cut off the head of a cock that crows before it is time.

Two dishes sorted... few more needed to make it a meal

Well it's getting closer to that time where i need to visit Turkey.

So with a bit of help from Martin i can announce two dishes i'll attempt so far


Traditional lamb (kofte)

and

Stuffed vegetables (dolma)

but i'm still looking for a few more to add to the experience as well as a mouth watering dessert.

So please feel free to post anything you know of :-)

Did You Know?...

The famous Trojan Wars took place in Western Turkey Truva town.

The first church built by man (St. Peter's Church) is in Antioch (Antakya), Turkey.

The oldest known human settlement in Turkey is Catalhoyuk (7th Millennium B.C.)
Ephesus and Halicarnasus - two of the most famous places of the ancient world - are both in Turkey.
St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Clause, was born in Demre, on Turkey's Mediterranean Coast.
Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) in Eastern Turkey.
The last meal on Noah's Ark, a pudding of sweet and sour taste (Asure), is still served throughout Turkey.
The Turks were who introduced coffee to Europe.
The famous Dutch Tulip comes from Turkey.
The biggest city Istanbul is located on two continents.
Turkey is noted for having one of the three (together with French and Chinese) most famous and distinctive traditional cuisines in the world.
The First Ecumenical Council was held in Iznik, Turkey.
Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, Homer (the poet), King Midas, Heredotus (the father of history), St. Paul the Apostle and Santa Claus
Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words, "Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)" in North Anatolia when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
Female goddesses dominated the Central Anatolian pantheon for thousands of years before these supernatural powers were transformed to male gods.
The Hittites sold Abraham the cave where he buried his wife Sarah, when the Israelites came to Palestine.
Virgin Mary's house where she spent her last days, situated on the top of Bülbüldag (Ephesus), is considered as a holy place for all religions.
Seven Churches of Revelation are all in Aegean Region in Turkey (Ephesus, Sardis, Tyatira, Pergamon, Philadelphia, Smyrna, Collosae).
Turkey houses one of the the richest flora and almost every year new plant species are gained to the world literature.
The Color "Turquoise" comes from the clean see color on the Aegean Cost in Turkey.
Antalya Museum was rewarded specially by European Council as the best museum 1988 in Europe.
In Antalya, in the spring time you can both ski in the mountains & swim on the coast.
UNESCO declares Pamukkale and Zelve Open Air Museum as world heritages.
The millennium stone at Sultanahmet square Istanbul was the zero meridian point of the world once upon a time.
Kasikci diamond one of the greatest piece of the world and is displayed in Topkapi Palace.
Three of the 10 remaining icons of the world and according to the belief of Orthodox, Jesus Christ's cross which he was crucified are in Hagia Yorghi church.
Hereke which is in the world carpeting literature with the quality of the wool and silk rugs is in Izmit (Kocaeli) Turkey.
Homeland of Iskender Döner (Shorma/Gyro) which is very famous all around the world is Bursa Turkey.
The philosopher Aristotales lived in Assos for three years.
Lydia which is one of the greatest civilization lived in Anatolia has still got some remainings around Salihli (Sardis) and it's the first civilization which coined money.
Virgin Mary's House in Ephesus is visited by Pope the 6th Paul and Pope Jean Paul as well.
The world's greatest amphora and glass collection is in Bodrum Museum in Bodrum Castle.

The Best preserved Roman Theater is located in Aspendos Antic City, Antalya, Turkey

The First University in History is in Harran, Turkey